Wednesday, March 24, 2010
You've Always Been a Tourist
After successfully escaping Afghanistan and building a new life for himself in America, Amir is forced to confront his past and the truth about himself, his father, and Hassan. When Rahim Kahn telephones asking for his help, Amir has no choice but to get on a plane to Pakistan. Once he arrives, he learns the truth about the ties that bind he and Hassan together. Of course, now he has no choice. He must agree to Rahim Kahn's request that he return to Afghanistan, find Hassan's son Sohrab, and smuggle him out of the country. Although he realizes the danger involved, Amir soon finds himself sitting in the back of an old car wearing a carefully woven beard and some traditional Afghan clothing. His driver Farid is taking him through the Khyber Pass and into Afghanistan. Amir is sick and Farid treats him with contempt. He resents Amir and soon exclaims, "You've alwaysbeen a tourist here, you just didn't know it." What distinction does Farid draw between the life Amir lived in Afghanistan and the life most Afghans lived? Based on what you know and what you're reading about life for the typical Afghan, do you agree with Farid's accusation? (Please support your response with some textual evidence and even extend it with a connection to real life.)
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I completely agree with what Farid had to say. Amir was a tourist the whole time he just didn’t know it. When you are rich like Amir, than you live a sheltered life, you don’t get to experience what everyone else has to. Amir, while he did witness his friend being raped, really had no idea what it was really like beyond his rich community. Thus, concluding that he was in fact a tourist in his own country. There is a flip side to this though, Afghanistan was always being taken over by other country and there was no permanent ruler. For instance the Russian’s came in an completely changed the way things used to be. The people who lived there were treated like a disposable camera; easily thrown away. It his hard to say you are a resident somewhere when the people who are ruling the country don’t even want you in the country in the first place. Farid was just implying that you can not be a resident somewhere you don’t own or understand. Most Afghans were not rich and lived in poverty and fear so Amir definitely had it easy. Amir had no idea how life really was, he was ignorant like most tourists.
ReplyDeleteWhile at times his comments were harsh and while I do appreciate Amir's love for his home country, I must admit that there is some truth to what Farid is saying. He correctly guesses that Amir grew up in a large home to a wealthy family in a social group obsessed with Western culture, being served by the average Afghans and Hazaras who he himself could not really be "friends" with. Farid then points out a poor, ragged man walking along a dirt road and tells Amir that real Afghans are like that man, and they suffered along with their country while Amir escaped to America. Most of Amir's faults in this come from his being sheltered as a child from some of the more dangerous or grimy aspects of living in Afghanistan, and Amir was blissfully ignorant of how difficult life could be in his country. Many middle-class Americans are guilty of this same ignorance about other countries around the world, as they are often lost in their comfortable worlds and do not stop to think about the plight of other nations. When the earthquake struck Haiti and destroyed Port-Au-Prince, many Americans did not realize how poor of a country Haiti was and how ill-equipped they were to deal with a disaster of that magnitude. It was an eye-opening experience for many Americans who, sheltered in their own comfortable suburban lifestyle, did not realize how bad things could get.
ReplyDeleteThe distinction that Farid draws between the life Amir had in Afghanistan and the life that most Afghans lived was that many of the Afghans did not had money like he had. Amir had always been a stranger in his country because he never felt the torture of being poor and as a child having to work for a piece of bread. Farid told him “Let me imagine, Agha sahib. You probably lived in a big two- or three- story house with a nice backyard that your gardener filled with flowers and fruit trees… Your father drove an American car. You had servants, probably Hazaras…” Basically Farid had told Amir’s live in a second not even knowing him because he had the easy live. Sometimes I feel like Amir saying that I feel like a tourist in my own country because of how bad Mexico has become. Just looking in the news; with all the killings going on makes me not want to go back.
ReplyDeleteFarid was stating to Amir that he never lived the life that most Afghans lived, because was living the good life in his childhood. Amir was blind to the destruction that was already starting to happen in "his country", because he was comforted and cushioned by the wealth and fame of his father. I do believe that was Farid was saying is right, because Amir was pretty much protected from the usual life in Afghanistan. Everyone else was dealing with poverty and war issues, even when Amir was a child, but he did not realize it until he went to live in America. Baba and Amir were pushed down the social-status pyramid, and Amir finally sees that he was "babied" his whole childhood, making him blind to the fact that all the other Afghan citizens were being damaged an destructed in their country.
ReplyDeleteFarid did say some straight forward things such as "You still think of this place as your country?", but I understand where he's coming from which is why I agree with his accusation. Unlike Farid, Amir always had a good life he never had to worry about food being on the table, about having to work. He had people cater to him, to grant all his wishes and needs. He was concealed in his own rich life didn't see or realize others poverty and pain. As soon as things were beginning to get bad around his society he and his father fled to America where they tried to find a way to better there lives. Even though it was hard for Amir and his father they still never experienced all the struggles and worries that the Afghans had to worry for,in a way was what Farid was trying to say. Which also adds to why Farid had a grudge because he did go through all the worries and stuggles, from poverty to losing his father and daughters in the war. Like Christian I also feel the same way I feel like a tourist when I did go to Mexico because I never experienced the poverty that they experienced or the wars that they had. Just like Amir when I say Mexico is my country those who were living in Mexico and had it hard always tell me that it's not my country because I was born in America and because I've only gone once. I do feel some type of way toward people telling me that but I can understand where there coming from just like I understand why Farid acted as he did toward Amir.
ReplyDeleteThe distinction that Farid drawled between the life Amir lived in Afghanistan and the life most Afghans lived was that Amir was way wealthier than most Afghans and pretty much had an my father is rich kind of attitude. Which most of his people had actually thought about others, unlike Amir didn’t even think about his own best friend long ago when he was getting sexually assaulted when knowing he could have stopped the act but was too selfish to see. Most Afghans was friendly, poor, and timid people. Amir didn’t see what his people actually had to go through, so that gave him an unproblematic way of living in Afghanistan. Amir was nowhere near like his people. For that, I do agree with Farid, how he stated "You've always been a tourist here, you just didn't know it." I can connect how there are a lot of countries still today that are poor and some people just have a selfish/ignorant way of thinking and are not seeing these issues in their own backyard. Brings us back to how Amir didn’t see how his people were really living in Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteI understand why Farid said that to Amir. Amir was a very privileged child. Everybody knew who his father was. Fortunately Amir he didnt have to live like other Afghan which is good for him, but didnt realize that everybody isnt as fortunate as him. Amir should have known from the difference between him and Hassan. Amir being able to go to school and etc, while Hassan who is Haraza lives as a servant nd lays his head in a mud shack. Also when Assef called him names. I made a personal connection to this because my mom tells my sister and i all the time that " we dont know how good we have it." She would tell us stories about being hungey and wearing the same clothes, getting teased in school for it. Even though it was funny, she told us that her first airplane ride was when she was 21, the first time i was able to ride on a play was when i probably eight or even younger.
ReplyDeleteYes, I completely agree with Farid when he said that Amir has always been a tourist in his own country. Amir was born to a rich family in a rich community; which sheltered him never allowing him to experience the things that other Afghani kids have. Amir did witness the rape of his close friend Hassan but never truly understood what or why this happened. Consequently leading to the fact that Amir was and has always been a tourist in his own country. Farid even refers to Amir’s life as a child when he said, “let me imagine, agha sahib. You probably lived in a big two or three story house with a nice backyard that your gardener filled with flowers and fruit trees. All gated, of course. Your father drove an American car. You had servants, probably hazaras. Your parents hired workers to decorate the house for the fancy mehmanis they threw….. (pg. 232). Some people would say that I’m a tourist in my own country just like Amir because my mother has kept me sheltered all my life. Now don’t get me wrong I went out with friends but I have never experienced half of the stuff the other side of my family has.
ReplyDeleteWhile living in Afghanistan Amir lived unlike most other Afghan children. In most societies children are protected from the harsh truths of society. Today music is censored along with child blocks on certain channels on the television. Amir had grown up in a protected life mainly based on western culture. This is one of the many reasons later in his life he felt at home in America. As a child he would spend countless days in his sheltered yard and even watched movies from America. He was never really given the chance to see his own culture for what it really was. At least until Farid brought him to the realization he had always been a tourist in his own country. After discovering the real reason why Amir was back in Afghanistan Farid felt that it was wrong of him to judge Amir. "Don't worry. you were more right than you know," Amir replied. Although Amir was nearly clueless to the poverty and trouble faced by most afghans he was still a part of him. This relates to me because I may not know much about my family and where I come from on my fathers side due to lack of communication, however it is still a part of who I am and one of the reasons why I have my fathers last name. My last name is a constant reminder of the connection to my family and ancestors like the land of Afghanistan is a reminder to him of his.
ReplyDeletei agree with the driver because eventhough Amir grew up in Afghanistan he used to be rich so he never really got the real feel of it all. fore example he always had ali and hassan as his servants which meant that amir never had to do anything for himself because one of the would do it. Amir was also always driving by his father to school so he never had to walk in the streets. the driver means this in the way amir never had to suffer to get anything because he always had everything handed to him.
ReplyDeleteI would really like you to become a guest poster on my blog.”`,”; الولايات التركية التي تمنح الكملك للسوريين 2022
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